Detachable systems, in which a computer system may operate either as a notebook or laptop computer when a tablet portion and a keyboard portion are connected together or as a tablet computer when the tablet portion is separated from the keyboard portion, are growing in popularity because of the ability of such systems to provide multiple computing forms in a single package.
The benefits of detachable systems go beyond mere separation of the keyboard from the tablet because the base of the detachable system provides additional functionality, including the presence of multiple connectors (including Universal Serial Bus (USB™) connectors) on the base. The new version of the USB connector is the USC Type-C™ (also referred to as USB-C) utilizing a small form factor connector that accepts a reversible plug.
However, the separable physical connection of the tablet portion to the separable base portion generally utilizes a single electronic connector, such as a single USB-C connector, for the connection between the portions. For this reason, although a conventional base portion may include multiple USB-C connectors, such connectors do not provide full functionality. This reduced functionality can detract from the user experience in utilizing a detachable system.